A well connected and accessible city

Christchurch needs an efficient, integrated transport system that offers a range of choices for everyone. A well connected and accessible city will offer an excellent quality of life and help us compete internationally with other cities.

Active travel modes and public or shared transport have many benefits for Christchurch, including: reduced congestion and energy dependence, less need for new roads and parking, enhanced health and wellbeing through increased physical activity and greater social interaction.

What this means for our district

We have a fully integrated and reliable transport system that is responsive to the needs of citizens and adapts to new technologies.

An increased proportion of journeys are made by active, public, or shared transport.

Residents have equitable access to public transport and cycleways across the city.

Improved transport safety.

How we are contributing

We are working hard with our partners at Environment Canterbury to make public transport a more attractive option. The continued roll-out of the Major Cycle Routes(external link) will help make cycling safer and provide a new travel option for people. The central city road network is being upgraded through the An Accessible City programme of work to ensure the city is fit for the future.

How you can help

Encourage friends, family and co-workers to give public transport a go. Take the kids for a ride and explore the new cycleways. Share a ride with friends and neighbours to events rather than each taking your own car.

How we are doing

Status

What do we want to achieve?

What has happened?

Snapshot

Ease of travel by mode

Over half of respondents to the Life in Christchurch survey in 2017 found travel in the city easy or very easy.

People walking or travelling by car were most likely to find it easy or very easy to travel in the city. Further information.

Negative result

Mode share of active, public and shared travel

Trips by active travel, public transport and as a passenger in a motor vehicle are 45% of trips in 2013/14 compared with 54% before the earthquakes Further information.

Negative result

Travel to work by active, public transport or shared travel

The proportion of people travelling to work by these modes has declined by 30% since 1991 to 16% in 2013. Further information.

Mixed result

Frequency of cycling

The frequency of cycling on public roads has remained constant since 2010. 25% of respondents cycle on the road at least once a week. Further information.

Positive result

Cycle friendly city

Over 50% of people think Christchurch is a cycle friendly city. This is comparable to pre-earthquake levels. Further information.

Negative result

Bus patronage

13.6 million bus trips were made in the year to June 2018. This was just over three quarters of the number of pre-earthquake trips (17.2 million). Further information.

Negative result

Rating of public transport

Residents' satisfaction with the key components of public transport has declined from around 75% in 2004, to between 46 and 71%. Access and safety are the best performing elements. Further information.

Mixed result

Social cost of road crashes and injuries

Since 2000, the social costs of road crashes and injuries in 2016 prices has fluctuated around an average of $267 million.

In 2016, the total social cost of transport accidents in Christchurch City was $236 million. Further information.

Ease of travel by mode

Generally, three quarters of respondents to the Life in Christchurch survey found it easy or very easy to walk in the city, while just over 60% of respondents found travelling by car in the city easy or very easy.

In 2017, over half of respondents found it easy or very easy to travel by motorbike or scooter (57%), bicycle (54%) or public transport (53%).

Travel by active modes, public transport and as a passenger

Trips by active modes have been impacted by the earthquakes, with walking and cycling declining after the earthquakes as individuals' travel routes have changed. Trips using public transport declined to 2.1% of all trips in 2011/2012, before increasing to 3.6% of trips in 2013/2014.

Passengers trips in motor vehicles declined in the last period to 22% of all trips, whereas in previous periods these trips had remained relatively constant at around 25% of trips.

Travel to work by active modes, public transport and passengers in a motor vehicle

Census data shows trends in active travel, public transport and passengers in a motor vehicle over a longer time period (since 1991). Travel to work is a good indicator of the pressures on the peak travel period.

The proportion of people travelling to work by these modes has declined from 22% in 1991 to 16% in 2013; a decline of 30%.

Cycling increased slightly between 2006 and 2013 (10%). However walking, public transport and passengers in motor vehicle trips all declined between 2006 and 2013, after they all had been increasing prior to 2006.

Frequency of cycling

Since the earthquakes, the proportion of respondents from the Council's Residents Survey who reported they never cycled has remained relatively stable, with just under half of respondents reporting they had not cycled in the past 12 months. This is an improvement from 2010, when 54% of respondents stated they never cycled.

Around 25% of respondents cycled on a public road at least once a week, and 13% stated they cycle around once a month.

Cycle-friendly city

Since 2016, the proportion of respondents from the Council's Residents Survey who agree that Christchurch is a cycle-friendly city has exceeded 50%, up from a low of 26% in 2014. This is the same as the 2010 pre-earthquake value.

In 2014, 51% of people did not think Christchurch was a cycle-friendly city. This proportion has steadily decreased to 21% in 2018.

Bus patronage

The number of public transport trips in Christchurch was increasing before the earthquakes, however the earthquakes had a significant impact on public transport patronage. Between 2010 and 2012, the number of trips decreased by 35%, from 17.2 million trips to 11.2 million trips.

Between 2012 and 2014, the number of trips per year increased to 14.8 million, before declining to 13.5 million in the year to June 2017. In the year to June 2018 the number of trips increased slightly to 13.6 million.

Trips per capita have followed the same trends as total trips, with a post-earthquake decline followed by an increase between 2012 and 2014, before declining annually to 2018. In 2018, there was an average of 35 trips per resident for the year.

Rating of public transport

Since 2004, residents' perceptions from the Quality of Life survey have declined overall across all the key elements considered to make a successful public transport system, although some have remained stable since around 2010.

In 2018, 71% of respondents agreed public transport was easy to get to, and 69% of respondents thought it was safe.

Although around half of respondents thought public transport was affordable, frequent and reliable, each of these elements had declined from around 75% in 2004.

Social cost of road crashes and injuries

The social cost of transport road crashes and injuries includes all costs (including non-financial costs) incurred as a result of a crash or injury, irrespective of when the cost occurs and who pays. In 2016, the total social cost of transport accidents in Christchurch City was estimated at $236 million.

This contributed 5.8% of the total national social cost of road crashes and injuries of $4.1 billion.

Since 2000, the social costs of the city's transport road crashes and injuries (in 2016 prices) has fluctuated, with 2016 being the second lowest year after 2004. The average annual cost during this period was $267 million.

Nationally, the social costs of road crashes and injuries declined between 2007 and 2014, before increasing over the most recent two years, to a level 85% of the 2007 value.

Further information

Liability statement

Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in processing, analysing and reporting the information provided in these web pages and reports. However, the Christchurch City Council gives no warranty that the information in these web pages and reports contain no errors. The Council shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered consequent upon the use directly, or indirectly, of the information supplied in this publication.